Pages

Monday, September 10, 2012

Spicy Sausage Pasta

When you were a kid, did you ever eat cut up hot dogs mixed with a box of Kraft mac & cheese?

Me too. Actually, I may have actually eaten that concoction as recently as a few months ago, so I don't know who I'm trying to fool with the whole "when you were a kid" qualifier.

This reminds me of a grownup version of that! However, instead of hot dogs you have delicious smoked turkey sausage, and instead of Kraft you have penne with Monterey Jack cheese and Ro-Tel. The best part? You only need one pan, and 25 minutes to make this dinner. You don't even cook the pasta in a separate pan!

On a spiciness scale of 1-10, with 1 being mild salsa, and 10 being a ghost pepper dipped in sriracha sauce, this pasta is about a 3. If you want it spicier, use the hot version of Ro-Tel, and maybe Pepper-Jack cheese instead of Monterey-Jack. Some crushed red pepper flakes would be delicious too. This is a very forgiving recipe - you really can't mess up cheesy pasta!

Like this recipe? Do me a humongous favor and hook me up with some social media love!

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet(or other oven-safe skillet) until smoking.

Add the sausage and onion, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the broth, Ro-Tel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper, and give the mixture a good stir. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Preheat the broiler while the pasta is cooking.

Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions and remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned - about 3 minutes.

Found this recipe on pinterest.... so dang glad I did.. DELICIOUS! This is going in our monthly rotation :) I used bowtie pasta (what i had on hand) and it turned out perfect, super jealous my hubby gets to take the leftovers to work :/

Super tasty. Made a few changes/additions...used half and half, andouille sausage, added zucchini, mushrooms and a few extra garlic cloves. Topped it with a mix of mozzarella & gouda cheese. Thanks for a great, and super easy, week night dinner recipe!

I made it! It was AWESOME!!! I changed only one thing. I didn't have a oven safe pan so I just put the Last of the cheese on left it on low and put a lid on. It melted beautifuly! My husband was super impressed too! Thank you tons! We will be making it again.

This was absolutely incredible - totally brought me back to my fav childhood meal. It was so good, my hubby and I couldn't even wait for the leftovers! Thank you so much for sharing! Especially love the one dish recipe which makes for such easy cleanup.

I made this for dinner tonight and it was THE BOMB!So cheesy and deliciously creamy!This is a keeper recipe, though I will be using regular sausage next time cause I thought it was a little spicy(I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy foods,lol!)Thank for sharing this recipe, it's amazing!!

Made it for dinner tonight and the whole family loved it. I didn't have any low sodium chicken broth and it was a little salty so next time I will make sure to buy the right stuff. We will definitely be making it again. Thanks!

Absolutely AMAZING! I doubled the recipe and had a few friends over for dinner. I think just about everyone had THIRDS! Sooo yummy! I used regular chicken broth nut didnt add any salt. The flavor was almost addicting! :) definatley have to pass this on!

I have now made this recipe (minus onions, I hate onions) at least 3 times - the second time for my parents, grandmother, aunt and uncle and everyone that has tried it has LOVED it! Especially me b/c it tastes wonderful and it is so easy to make! I skip the whole cast-iron-put-it-in-the-oven thing b/c I just don't have cast iron and it is perfectly delicious made "hamburger helper"-style. :) Thanks for the recipe, it has been added to the "rotation." lol -M.

I don't think it posted my comment earlier, so sorry if this is a repeat!

But I have made this recipe now at least 3 times (including tonight) and the 2nd time ever was for my family (parents, grandma, aunts, uncles, sister, nieces, nephew etc). Everyone that has tried it has LOVED it - esp me b/c it is delicious and so easy to make! Now, I don't have cast iron so I just make it "hamburger helper"-style and it is fab. Thank you so much for the recipe! It has definitely been added to the "rotation." :) lol

Hi Tara - It can, as long as the skillet you use is oven safe. If you're using a standard non-stick skillet it probably is NOT oven safe. Cast iron skillets are really cheap, and you'll have it your whole life. It's definitely worth picking one up!

Just made this tonight and it was REALLY good! I cut up 5 strips of bacon into the size of bacon bits and also a large boneless skinless chicken breast and sauteed that with the onions instead of turkey sausage. I also added some frozen peas and some cayenne pepper for a little more heat. It is definitely a must try when you're cheating on your diet!

Just made this tonight and it was REALLY good! I cut up 5 strips of bacon into the size of bacon bits and also a large boneless skinless chicken breast and sauteed that with the onions instead of turkey sausage. I also added some frozen peas and some cayenne pepper for a little more heat. It is definitely a must try when you're cheating on your diet!

I made this for dinner tonight and the hubby couldn't stop talking about it! He wants to try it with shrimp. We stirred in some sour cream to tone it down since I accidentally grabbed hot Rotel. Too spicy for the 3 year old. Thanks!!!!!

I made this the other night for my boyfriend and he said it was one of the best meals i've made for him!! i'd have to agree, it was delicious!!! he bragged to his best friend about it so much that he insisted on me making it for both of them again tonight :p

This dish is FANTASTIC! My husband & I loved it the first time we ate it and I have since passed this recipe on to several friends and everyone is crazy about it! This is now everyone's go- to supper when something quick, easy, & delicious is needed!

I made this tonight with bow-tie pasta (it's what i had on hand). It was very DELICIOUS and very quick! We sliced up some crusty bread I was going to use for garlic bread....but decided the pasta was so flavorful, we could eat the warm bread plain. Will definitely keep this dish in the rotation.

Thanks for sharing this recipe, we recently discovered our 3yo daughter is sensitive tomato sauce (no more spaghetti sauce) and have been looking for alternative dishes that are just as flavorful without a huge amount of tomatoes. I am looking forward to making this dish! :)

Thanks for sharing this recipe, we recently discovered our 3yo daughter is sensitive tomato sauce (no more spaghetti sauce) and have been looking for alternative dishes that are just as flavorful without a huge amount of tomatoes. I am looking forward to making this dish! :)

Can't even tell you how much I've loved this dish. I've shared it with probably 15 people. It's a staple in my household. Except for the fact that I just started WW, any idea the nutrition facts? I mean, it can't be good for you but...? Thanks! :) -Molly at abetterbestlife.blogspot.com

Hi Molly! It's a fave over here as well. I've never calculated the nutrition facts, but if you're a paid member, WW has a recipe builder on their website where you should be able to calculate points! Also, I know some previous commenters have used half and half in lieu of heavy cream to lighten it up a bit.

I was reading through your recipe and it looked really good and really familiar to something I had pinned on Pinterest early this morning. I found an almost exact copy cat of your recipe (including the descriptions!) at a blog called Little Bits: Sausage Pasta Skillet just thought you should know.

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I love reading them, and try to respond to questions as soon as possible. Comments are moderated to prevent spam, and will not show up immediately. Anonymous comments will not be published, so please be friendly and leave your name!